19 October 2018

In the presence of the Principal of the University of Concepción Carlos Saavedra, Corcudec Manager Mario Cabrera, Vice-Chancellor Carlos von Plessing, Vice-Chancellor of Community Outreach Claudia Muñoz, and the musicians of the Symphony Orchestra, Swedish maestro Mika Eichenholz was introduced as the new Music Director of the ensemble for a 3-year period starting in May 2019.

In a symbolic ceremony, Principal Carlos Saavedra said that “today is a day of re-encounters and future. I thank all those who made possible to bring forth this moment when we can announce that maestro Mika Eichenholz will be the new Music Director of our Symphony Orchestra from May 2019.”

He also added that “in our University’s 100th anniversary, on 14 May next year, we will have maestro Mika with us, and this will allow us to address new and greater challenges. We want to make international tours, so this is a wonderful and renewing way to start this new century of life. This is very significant, because it’s the orchestra musicians themselves who express their affection and recognition in this incorporation.”

Maestro Eichenholz thanked the University officials for this happy return to the Orchestra: “This moment is particularly significant to me. I have a relationship of over 25 years with these musicians. In Sweden, my connection with South America is well known and has a special importance. I feel stunned, and at home,” he said.

Finally, Corcudec Manager Mario Cabrera highlighted the Swedish maestro’s career: “With him, we’ll be able to work on the 2019 season in the context of the centennial project. We are working on several projects. We are a part of what we have to build today for the future. Mika always made himself available to the new University officials, and there’s an artistic project that he wants to take to a new level.”

Maestro Eichenholz has been a frequent guest conductor in the concert seasons of the Concepción Symphony Orchestra, in a relationship that goes back over 25 years. He made his debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 1989 after studying with Prof. Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. That same year, he graduated from the Sibelius Academy and was awarded First Prize at the Swedish Competition for Conductors (Svenska Dirigentpriset). In 1990 he was chosen to replace Neeme Järvi on a tour with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, thus beginning a career that has since brought him to conduct orchestras worldwide.

He is frequently engaged as guest conductor in the Swedish and Finnish orchestras as well as being a returning conductor in orchestras in Eastern Europe (Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Romania), Austria as well as in South America. He has conducted the Helsingborg, Gävle and Kuopio Symphony Orchestras, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orquesta de Cámara de Chile, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and the Hamburger Symphoniker, as well as opera tours in Europe. In March 2009 he made his successful debut with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra as conductor of the production ‘Nordlichter, eine Sibelius Phantasie’ at the Haus für Mozart in Salzburg. He also conducted Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’ at the Salzburger Landestheater.